Issue #167 / Oct 2014

The Bash shell is powerful and infinitely expressive. In this article we describe some tricky techniques you can use to enhance and customize your Bash environment.

For a monthly fee, the Spotify streaming service beams music onto your desktop or phone. To intensify the groove, Perlmeister Mike Schilli archived his Spotify playlists for eternity using an OAuth-protected web API.

iPXE simplifies the task of booting images over a network and also lets admins design dynamic boot menus that integrate scripts and boot images via HTTP(S).

The Top system monitor is a useful aid for identifying system bottlenecks, and Htop, Atop, and Glances extend its possibilities.

What’s new in Knoppix 7.4?

Transform the Chrome and Chromium browsers into productivity powerhouses with open source apps and extensions.

Legacy backup programs are too heavyweight for a quick backup on the fly, but Synkron helps you keep smaller datasets in sync with just a couple of mouse clicks.

With the YankRing plugin, Vim's yank and pull features become even more powerful.

With the Audex CD ripper, you can start digitizing your personal music collection immediately.

"maddog" takes exception to attempts to blame Open Source for some recent product failures.